Scarlet Redemption
by bluedragon03
Summary: A collection of one-shots for Jerza week 2k15. Spoilers through the most recent chapters. Starting out before the GMG and excluding whatever fresh hell Sensei has planned for us next after the Avatar arc, a collection of chronological one-shots and drabbles that tell the story of Jellal and Erza and their love.
1. Strawberry Signals

***A/N- I've had the idea to do a collection of one-shots for Jerza for a while now, but the prompts for Jerza Week 2k15 gave me some ideas, so I'm modifying some of my head canons and writing some new ones and making this collection of one-shots my submission for Jerza Week 2k15. Yay!**

 **Day 1: Strawberries**

 **(I do not own Fairy Tail)**

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Jellal stopped walking and lifted his nose into the air, sniffing. The wind smelled faintly of strawberries, he thought. He turned and faced the direction that the wind was coming from, and sniffed again.

"Do you guys smell that?"

"Smell what?" Meredy asked.

"Strawberries."

"Strawberries?" Ultear repeated. Jellal nodded and stepped off the trail in the direction the smell was coming from.

"This way, I think," he said, walking into the forest. Meredy and Ultear exchanged a confused look, then followed him into the trees.

"And why are we following the scent of strawberries only you can smell?" Ultear inquired.

Jellal didn't reply. He wasn't entirely sure why either, all he knew was that a certain red head absolutely loved strawberries. For some reason he felt obligated to do this, like he should pursue the mysterious smell of strawberries in the forest for her sake, so he did. He followed his nose through the forest, and with every step he took the scent became stronger. Eventually the girls told him that they could smell it too, which left him wondering why he'd been the only one able to smell them from so far away.

The trees parted in front of them, revealing a small field of strawberries growing in the dappled sunlight. He smiled nostalgically as he knelt down and inspected the strawberries from the plant closest to him.

"Strange," he said aloud, "you don't usually get wild strawberries growing this big, or in numbers this large."

"Since when are you an expert in strawberries?" Ultear asked teasingly.

"You can't spend very long with Erza and _not_ pick up a few things about strawberries," Jellal said. "She's obsessed with them. They're her favorite food, she always used to say they were what she missed most about life outside the Tower."

"Really? What she missed most was strawberries?" Meredy asked.

"Well," he amended, "not more than strawberry cake, but she only got to eat that when the cake in her village bakery was too old to sell, he would give it to her sometimes when that happened."

"That's really sweet, but what _I'm_ interested in," Meredy said, in a tone that let Jellal know he wasn't going to like what was coming next, "is what _you_ missed the most about life outside the Tower."

"Promise you won't make fun of me?" He asked, knowing full well that Meredy would tease him no matter what he said anyway. She nodded, and Jellal sighed.

"I had this dog."

"Awww!" Meredy said automatically. "What was it's name?" Jellal blushed furiously and looked away so he didn't have to see her face when he said this.

"Fluffy." Meredy threw her head back and laughed, Ultear chuckled gently, too. "What?" He asked defensively, "I was a kid, it's not like I was going to come up with something really clever!"

"That's the cutest thing I've heard in my life, Jellal!" Meredy laughed.

"Shut up," he replied, embarrassed.

He busied himself with inspecting the strawberries again so Meredy couldn't see him blushing. He thought back to his time in the Tower with Erza, listening to her talk enthusiastically about how to tell which wild strawberry will taste the best. He remembered easily the instructions she had given him, saying one day she would take him strawberry hunting that way he would know the joys of pick and eating wild strawberries.

 _It's too bad you aren't here right now,_ he thought as he picked one and bit into it, and then automatically spit it out, retching. He remembered suddenly one instruction that had slipped his mind in his nostalgic mood.

 _Never forget to check for spiders._

"What's the matter?" Ultear asked teasingly, "not as much of an expert as you thought?" Jellal hacked and coughed and spit, being extra sure that every last piece of the spider he had just bitten into was out of his mouth. He grabbed his water pouch of his side and swished some water around in his mouth, gargled it, then spit it back out.

"Check for spiders before you eat one," he said. Meredy and Ultear roared with laughter, and despite his determination not to, and the trauma he'd experienced at almost ingesting an arachnid, Jellal couldn't help but smile as well.

Jellal reached back out warily and picked another strawberry, this time checking thoroughly for insects of any kind before biting into it. The sweet strawberry juice exploded in his mouth, making him smile widely. _Erza wasn't kidding,_ he thought, _they really are good._ He picked a few more that fit Erza's description of 'the perfect strawberry' and gave them to Meredy and Ultear.

"You weren't kidding," Ultear said, "all the ones I tried myself were sour, she must really have talked a lot about it, because these are great!" Jellal smiled, then shrugged.

"C'mon," he said, "let's go."

On the way back to the path, Jellal was struck with an idea. He stopped briefly next to a tree, pressing his hand into the bark. When he pulled his hand away, there was a strange symbol scorched into the wood. Jellal gave a furtive smile and stepped back from the tree, admiring his handy work. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Ultear and Meredy hovering over him.

"What does that symbol mean?" Meredy chirped.

"Nothing," he replied. Walking a few paces away and repeating the same steps on another tree.

"If it's nothing then why do you keep burning it into these trees?" Ultear asked.

"No reason," Jellal replied innocently as he scorched the marks into yet another tree.

"Is it possible that they are a message of some sort?" Ultear asked, more to Meredy than Jellal. She leaned in to inspect the mark closer, but Jellal kept walking, every few feet finding another tree to scorch the mark onto. Meredy and Ultear fired off questions at him about the marks for several minutes, but gave up when he didn't answer them.

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A few weeks later, Team Natsu happened to be walking down that very path on their way home from a job, when Lucy noticed one of the marks on the edge of the trail.

"Hey, look at this," She said, pointing, "it looks like this mark has been burnt into the trunk of this tree. I wonder what it could mean?" Lucy's friends came up behind her curiously, and they all turned to Erza when she gasped in shock. She crouched down and inspected the ground at the bottom of the tree, then stood back up and walked around the tree, looking closely at it.

"See if you can find any more of these symbols," she instructed. Her guild mates complied, confused. Erza could hardly believe her eyes as she stared at the symbol in the tree. It had been years and years since she had seen it. How could it have gotten there? Why was it put there in the first place?

It was Gray that found the next one, several feet deeper into the forest, and Wendy found the next one. It seemed like they were trying to lead her somewhere, so she followed them, deeper and deeper into the forest until…

"A strawberry field?" Gray asked incredulously. Erza's face broke into a wide smile as she realized what had happened. She knelt at the edge of the field and selected a strawberry. She checked it for spiders before popping it into her mouth.

"Were those symbols meant to lead us here?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, they were," Erza said. The surety in her voice must have peaked her curiosity.

"Erza, do you know what they mean?"

"Yes, I do." She stood and turned to face Lucy, smiling. "You won't find them in any dictionary or book of runes, but they mean that there is food hidden nearby."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be able to find them in a book of runes?" Erza chuckled, Lucy always seemed to know the questions she should be asking.

"Because Jellal made it up when we were kids." Lucy made a small 'oh' sound, but stayed silent for the rest of Erza's story.

"I was often sickly and weak in the Tower, the food was horrible and the rations meager. They would give a meal to the resting laborers from the first shift while the second shift was working, and when they put Jellal and I on different shifts, he would steal an extra ration for me so I could have a little more to eat. He would hide it in a hole in the wall until I got back, and he would hide the hole with a rock with that symbol on it so I could find it."


	2. Scarlet Sunset

***A/N- So at this point, I should probably mention that I'm going to make all of these connected, and probably in chronological order. The first happened pre-GMG and this one is during the year time skip. So these all happen in the same universe, and they will reference each other. I'm also going to re-order some of the prompts to suit this collection better, sorry!**

 **Day 2: Sunset**

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"I'm sorry," Erza said quietly, "I had no idea. The spell was called Past Ages?" Jellal nodded. He had just finished telling her about what Ultear had done during the battle with the dragons after the Grand Magic Games. "That must have been hard on you."

"I've lost people before," he said sadly, "I'm used to it."

Erza gazed sadly at him. he was, of course, speaking of all of their friends who had yet to forgive him for what he had done, not to mention Simon, whom he had killed with his own two hands. Erza leaned over, placing her head on his shoulder. They were sitting side by side on the beach, watching the sunset. Jellal didn't move, he just continued to stare out across the water with his knees pulled to his chest, sadness etched into his features.

"You should allow yourself to grieve him, holding all of your sadness in isn't healthy." Erza knew that Jellal had never allowed himself to grieve Simon properly, out of guilt. He probably thought he didn't deserve to, or something ridiculous like that.

"I don't deserve to grieve for him, I'm the one who killed him," Erza allowed herself a moment of triumphant silence before responding.

"He would understand, you knew him as well as I did, had he known that you were being manipulated I know that he would have forgiven you. You know that."

"Perhaps, but we'll never know. I didn't give him the chance." Erza growled loudly and sat up, turning so that she knelt facing Jellal.

"That's enough," she said sternly, and Jellal looked at her, shocked. "Enough of your pity-party. You've had seven years to heal and move on, and you haven't yet. It's not your fault, stop blaming yourself, stop punishing yourself, and stop letting yourself drown in guilt. You're going to let yourself be happy, or I'm going to make you!" She finished fiercely. Jellal couldn't help smiling at the last statement.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" He asked.

"I know how much you love animals, I'll take you to an animal shelter and lock you in a cage with a bunch of puppies, or I'll dump a box of kittens on you, and I'll make you eat lots of strawberry cake."

"That doesn't sound so bad, but what animal shelter would let me through the door? I'm a fugitive."

"I'm not," she said, "I'll just demand use of the facilities and sneak you in through the back door." Jellal snorted. "Oh animals love you and you know it, I could stick you in the middle of the street and the strays would flock to you."

"You can't possibly know that," Jellal said, laughing now, "you've never seen an animal flock to me in our lives."

"Well I know it would happen."

"Maybe if I carried a can of open sardines," he said.

"Well it wouldn't hurt." Jellal laughed again, looking over at her incredulously. Where did she get all of her energy from? Erza settled back down on the sand so that she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Jellal again. "You're a good person, Jellal, I know it. It's time that you got that through your thick head as well."

"You really believe that?" He asked.

"Of course I do, you're the same boy who stole extra rations for me when I was sick in the Tower, and you're the same man who took the time scorching our secret symbol into a bunch of trees that way I would find that strawberry patch if I ever walked down that road."

"You found them then?" He asked, turning to look her in the eyes. It suddenly struck him how close he and Erza were. They hadn't been this close since before the Grand Magic Games, and then they had, _oh goodness,_ he thought. He swallowed his now thundering heart as Erza nodded.

"They were delicious, thank you. A person who is bad at heart wouldn't have taken the time to do that for a friend."

"I think," Jellal said, moving unconsciously closer to Erza, "that with you believing in me, I can become good, and atone for all that I've done."

"You are already good, haven't you been listening?" She murmured. Jellal finished closing the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. Erza sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, and Jellal wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn't push her away this time, he pulled her closer. He allowed himself to hold her. He was never letting her go again. After a few minutes they broke apart, but remained in each other's arms, watching the scarlet sunset until night fell.


	3. Cardinal Sins

***A/N- Thank you Jerza week 2k15 for giving me an excuse to write and publish my ultimate Jerza headcanon. (My ultimate headcanon is that Erza got named a wizard saint and then used her influence to get Jellal pardoned.) This takes place after the year time skip and assumes whatever fresh hell Mashima is planning for us now doesn't happen.**

 **And to the reviewer who pointed out my error in chappie 2: Thanks for reviewing, and I literally had Last Ages but changed it. (Dammit).**

 **Day 3: Cardinal**

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 _Cardinal- 1. of prime importance; chief; principal._

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"And why should we grant these pardons that you are asking for?" Erza's fellow Wizard Saint asked. She had been named after the death of another Wizard Saint, she had to serve on the council, but she didn't plan on staying much longer after this was done. Until then she was making Jellal help her get all of her work done. He had, after all, served on the WIzard Council before.

"Well, as you know, I was there for the fall of the Tower of Heaven, I personally fought with Jellal. He was being manipulated, he wasn't in control at all. Once he was defeated it is my belief that Jellal regained control long enough to sacrifice himself to the lacrima and save the rest of us from the impending explosion."

"And we are supposed to believe this?" The seventh Wizard Saint asked. Erza herself was sixth, with Jura being fifth. Jellal had been ninth, and Erza teased him relentlessly about being placed higher than him.

"Do you think I'm lying?" Erza challenged. He didn't respond.

"The charges that this man has been brought up on are all cardinal sins!" Exclaimed the tenth ranked wizard saint. "Murder, conspiracy to overthrow the government, infiltrating the Magic Council, and orchestrating the firing of Etherion. Each of these crimes earns him a life sentence, and you expect us to _pardon_ him?"

"As I have already explained, he was being manipulated when he did all of those things, he was not in control. Not to mention he regained his true self in enough time to sacrifice himself to dispel the Etherion. And, technically, the death of my friend Simon could be ruled an accident, seeing as how the spell was meant to kill me, Simon's death was accidental."

"So the charges change to attempted murder and criminally negligent manslaughter." Replied the seventh Wizard Saint exasperatedly.

"Also, I believe Meredy should be pardoned, as well as the remaining members of the Oracion Seis."

"And why would we do that?" Asked the eighth Wizard Saint.

"Because, Meredy was adopted into Grimoire Heart at a young age and raised to be what she was, therefore she had no chance at becoming a law abiding citizen. She has been fully rehabilitated by Jellal, and would now serve as a useful member of society. The rest of the Oracion Seis have also been rehabilitated, and deserve a chance to live a normal life."

"I can personally attest to the rehabilitation of Richard, otherwise known as Hot Eye," Jura chimed in, "During the battle with Nirvana all those years ago, he changed sides and helped us defeat the Oracion Seis, and even saved the lives of two of our number."

"In addition to freeing people who deserve another chance at life," Erza said, "it would make the council look generous and forgiving, in favor of second chances. The council would be celebrated."

"You cannot deny," said the tenth Wizard Saint, "that having two of our own in favor of pardoning these people, both of which have fought with and spent time with them says a lot. Don't you think we should listen to them?" Erza sighed in relief. She had managed to convince one of them, with her and Jura that made 3, they only needed 3 more to make majority.

"I agree with Erza, I think the children should be pardoned," Warrod said. _Thank God._

xxx

A few hours of deliberating later, and exactly three votes, Jellal and the others received their pardons. Erza left the building, sighing with relief. She could go a year without ever seeing those faces again. She was done arguing. It had taken weeks of fighting with Jellal to get him to allow her to ask for a pardon for him. He was all about the pardons for his guild mates, but he didn't think that he 'deserved' to be pardoned.

After a while Erza had gotten down to the heart of the matter, which was that Jellal wanted the pardon so he could stop hiding, but he was punishing himself. Erza had known that much, she had just needed him to admit it aloud. After that happened it had been easy to wear him down into allowing her to ask for his pardon as well.

She also knew that he had probably only been so adamant about not getting a pardon because he was still punishing himself for allowing himself to be with her. He had tried to leave her after their kiss those months ago once. Erza had thrown such a hellacious fit, however, shouting about how Jellal was a self punishing ass who needed to learn to forgive himself because "literally everyone else has and I'm tired of your shit" so loudly that the birds fled from the trees and Erik now referred to the event as the "Great Scarlet Tantrum of X792." Jellal no longer tried to lie to Erza either, because during the "Great Scarlet Tantrum of X792" she also pointed out he was a terrible liar, "so don't even try." She simply wouldn't allow him to leave her for a stupid reason like "not deserving her," so he was trying to make up for it in other places.

She had finally managed to convince him that he would be better able to do their jobs if _all_ of them had been pardoned, and didn't have to sneak around. They could sleep in taverns and not caves, which Erza knew Sorano and Meredy would appreciate. It also hadn't hurt when Meredy had broken down into tears, maybe faked maybe not, saying that it's what Ultear would have wanted, and she refused to be pardoned without him, and if one was issued to her and not him she would do something awful to make herself a fugitive again. Jellal gave into their begging and said Erza could request that he be pardoned as well.

Everyone looked up at her when she walked in, their faces filled with hope, (except Jellal's, which had the expression he wore whenever he was lying to himself) and Erza nodded.

"The council voted in my favor! Your pardon's will be announced in the morning, and then you will be officially free!" They all cheered and crowded around her, thanking her and hugging her. Sawyer actually kissed her, which made Jellal growl loudly from the corner where he was sitting. The girls all giggled, and the guys chuckled. Erza grabbed Jellal by the hand and dragged him out of the cave that they had been staying in, (much to Erza's dismay) and into the woods. Once she was out of hearing distance, even for Cobra, she stopped.

"Try not to look so pleased, Jellal," she said.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "I really am grateful, but I can't help feeling like I don't deserve it, and feeling guilty for being happy. I know you hate hearing that, but it's the truth."

"I do hate hearing that," Erza said, "but only because I know it's wrong, and you do deserve it, and I hate it that you don't believe it." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he slowly slid his around her waist. "Do you remember what you said to me when you kissed me on the beach, after Fairy Tail disbanded? You told me that you thought you could become good if I believed in you."

"I remember," he said.

"I've always believed in you, and I've always known that you were good, and deserving of happiness. Now you need to know that as well, you deserve this. Let yourself be happy." Jellal nodded.

"I'll try."

"Damn straight you will," Erza said, standing on her tiptoes and kissing Jellal on the lips. He kissed her back passionately, grateful that she was still with him despite all that he'd done.


	4. Diamonds and Yorkies

***A/N- This one is a head cannon I've had for a while now, and it was begging to be posted.**

 **Day 4- Diamonds**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail**

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Jellal ducked into the armor shop, and breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. The other customers looked up at him, and then turned quickly away. Most people in this town were still unsure of how they should act around him, although very few were openly rude. It just so happened he had been fleeing from some of those people when he had ducked into the armor shop. The other patrons finished up their business quickly and left, casting him many side long glances. He smiled at them whenever they made eye contact, but they didn't smile back.

"They'll warm up to you eventually, they just need time to adjust." Jellal nodded.

"Yea, most people are nice enough to me, there aren't many that are rude."

"And I don't suppose you were running from some of those few when you ducked into my shop?" Jellal blushed and ducked his head. "I knew I heard shouting when you walked in. Who was it? I'll give 'em a piece of my mind!" He turned around and made for the door, but Jellal put a hand on his shoulder.

"Really, Lloyd, it's alright. I'm not going to win over the townspeople by force." He said, sighing, "I might not win them over at all."

"You're not going to win them over by laying down and taking shit from them either!" Lloyd exclaimed. Jellal sighed again.

"You sound like Erza," he said exhaustedly. "She was calm at first, but now it's been a year, and she's getting tired of it."

"And you aren't?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm used to it," Jellal said.

"You're too nice for your own good, kid." Lloyd told him, patting him paternally on the shoulder. Jellal smiled sheepishly and followed him to the counter. He leaned up against it and looked at the armor on display behind the desk.

"You looking for a gift for Erza for your anniversary, aren't you?" Lloyd asked.

"Yea, did she tell you it was today?"

"Yes she did, and might I add, waiting until the last minute to buy an anniversary gift for your girlfriend is a bad idea."

"I know, I know, I was going to pick something up for her on the way back from the job I went on with my guild last week, but then Meredy caught a cold, Sorano and Erik got into a fight and Sawyer got knocked out trying to break it up, and you don't even want to know what Macbeth did." Jellal sighed heavily yet again and put his face in his hands. "There was so much chaos I completely forgot to get her anything."

"Well that sounds like a good time, but you've known about it literally all year, you had time."

"I know," Jellal said, "but I kept putting it off, or I saw something when I was with Erza, and I would go back for it later and then it would already be gone, I kept putting it off until it was too late. I thought that armor was a safe bet."

"It's true Erza loves her armor, but as an anniversary gift?"

"What's wrong with it? I thought you might have something girly, or really powerful and hardcore, those are her two main interests." Lloyd chuckled.

"Well we do have one particularly ornamental set of armor, but it's decorative, not meant to be used."

"Could it be enchanted to increase her physical strength or speed or something, or just offer some sort of protection?"

"If you had asked last week, yes, but there is no one in Magnolia that I would trust to enchant them effectively, not for the kinds of battles our Erza will be in. I'd have to send it off."

"Damn it."

"That's some strong language, son."

"And there is nothing powerful?" Jellal asked, although he already knew the answer. Lloyd shook his head and Jellal deflated. "Do you know anything that she might like?"

"The jewelry store is just two doors down."

"Jewelry?" Jellal asked, "I don't know what sort of jewelry she would like."

"What about earrings or a necklace? I'm sure that you can find something. Just go in and get whatever reminds you of her." Jellal nodded, thanked Lloyd, and left.

Jellal ducked his head instinctively when he left the jewelry store, and walked quickly to the jewelry store two doors down.

A few of the customers looked up when he walked in, one of them actually returned his smile, and another dropped the ring he was looking at and walked out, shoving into Jellal on the way out. _One of each extreme then,_ he thought. The attendant who had been helping him approached Jellal.

"I'm sorry," he said out of habit, "I'll leave if you want me too." She gave him an incredulous look.

"Why on Earth land would I want that?" Jellal blinked, taken aback.

"Well. I'm not very popular, that guy left because I came in."

"Oh that doesn't matter, we're the only worthwhile jewelry store in Magnolia, and he was a jerk anyway," she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "the whole time he was in here shopping for an engagement ring, he was shamelessly flirting with me," she held up her left hand, which was adorned by a diamond ring.

"Congratulations," Jellal said automatically. She nodded in acknowledgement of this.

"Thank you, but, he was also checking out that blonde over there, the one with her boyfriend." Jellal looked over at the woman she was indicating and raised his eyebrows.

"Did she check him out back?" He asked, before he could stop himself. The attendant snorted.

"She didn't notice." She walked behind the counter, and Jellal followed her, feeling much more comfortable. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm looking for a gift for my girlfriend for our anniversary."

"Which anniversary is it?" She asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Yup." She said briefly.

"A year," he told her.

"Are we looking for a ring?" She asked, casting a suggestive glance over at the ring display.

"Um- I don't think- I mean-" He was cut off by her giggles, and he realized that she was teasing him.

"I'm sorry, I know Erza, she came in here earlier looking for a gift for you."

"Erza came in here looking for a gift for me?" She nodded. "Did she buy anything?" He asked, imagining himself having to wear a glittery necklace or earrings so he wouldn't hurt her feelings.

"Not telling." She said. Jellal sighed again. He glanced around the store for something that reminded him of Erza, and a case filled with red caught his eye. He looked back at the clerk and she nodded. She walked around the counters to the display case, and rested her hands gently on the glass.

"See anything in particular?" She asked. Jellal scanned the shelves, looking at the rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

"I think earrings, because she wears earrings into battle, but a necklace would get broken."

"Not necessarily, a girl's got to have a little jewelry for when she's not in battle." Jellal scoffed.

"Erza's always in battle," he said. The girl chuckled.

"Anyway, I know you have to give it to her tonight, but later you could send it off and have it enchanted with some cool spell so she _could_ use it in battle. It would be even better if _you_ could enchant it, or have it enchanted with some sort of magic similar to yours. You could even have it turned into a mini communications lacrima that way she can always keep in touch with you!"

"Is that even possible?" Jellal asked.

"I don't know." Jellal gave the woman a look that said, _you're no help,_ then looked back down at the glass case, and had an idea. He pointed out one of the bracelets, and paid the lady, then left, feeling much better than he had when he had walked into it.

On his way back home, he saw a group of teenagers throwing rocks and bits of broken glass into a small alleyway. He was going to ignore them, but then he heard yelping coming from the alley, and he couldn't just leave the poor dog to be tormented. He'd always had a soft spot for animals.

"Hey!" He yelled, catching their attention, "leave that dog alone!" The teenagers laughed, and the boy he assumed was their ringleader stepped forward to talk to him.

"Mind your own business, Mister," he said, taking in Jellal's appearance. He obviously hadn't recognized him yet, or maybe he had and didn't care. Admittedly, Jellal's appearance today wouldn't lead anyone to believe that he was dangerous. Although his gray sweater didn't exactly hide how muscular he was, it _was_ a sweater, and it _was_ rather fuzzy, making him look like a big teddy bear. Jellal probably wouldn't have thought to be afraid of himself either if he'd seen himself on the street, especially since he was carrying a bag from a jewelry store. He probably looked completely harmless, which he most definitely _wasn't._

The teenager laughed loudly and turned back around like he was going to go back to harassing the poor dog. Jellal waiting, hoping that the kids would leave and he wouldn't have to intervene any further, but the kid, shooting him a spiteful look, picked up a rock and flung it into the alley. The dog yelped loudly again, causing the teenagers to laugh raucously. The ring leader picked up another rock, looking triumphantly at Jellal as if saying, _do something._

 _Challenge accepted,_ Jellal thought. He walked slowly forward, allowing his magic to form a visible aura around him. His hair billowed in the writhing magical power, revealing exactly how _not harmless_ he truly was.

"If I were you," he began, still advancing slowly and menacingly towards the kids, "I would think long and hard about your next move." The ring leader stared at him, eyes wide with terror. He dropped the rock, and Jellal smiled.

"Good move," he said, "now turn around and walk away, and don't ever let me catch you abusing animals again." The kid nodded vigorously, then turned tail and ran. Jellal rolled his eyes and allowed his magic aura to diminish. His hair settled, and he crouched at the mouth of the alleyway, peering into the near darkness.

Deep inside the alley, cowering next to a garbage can, was a small lump of matted fur. Jellal would have thought it was someone's disgusting old sweater covered in mud, if it hadn't been trembling violently.

"Hey, it's alright now," he said gently, reaching out a hand to the dog, it flinched. "I'm not going to hurt you. It's alright." The dog whimpered, and Jellal made soothing sounds at it.

"Come here," he said, making clicking sounds with his tongue, a group of teenage girls that happened to be passing behind him at that moment giggled at him, but he ignored them. "Come here, I'll buy you a nice big sausage if you do!" The dog sniffed at his hand, and edged closer to him.

He heard some whispering behind him, but he didn't turn around. He was able to catch words of a few of the conversations nearest him, however. The words _Tower of Heaven, Jellal Fernandez,_ and _Magic Council_ floated to his ears on the wind, and Jellal felt himself blushing. He did his best to ignore them, but he couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious. The dog took a few more steps forward towards him, and he smiled encouragingly at it, when something cold and wet made contact with his ear. Jellal jumped and whirled around, but he lost his balance and fell flat on his butt. There was some snickering from the crowd as he came face to face with a large Golden Retriever, and it licked him right in the mouth.

"Ack!" Jellal said, leaning away and spitting so that the dog couldn't lick him in the mouth again.

"I'm terribly sorry," the woman holding onto his leash said, "he never does this. He's generally shy around strangers."

"It's alright," Jellal said, wiping his mouth and tongue on his sleeve, (which he regretted instantly because now there was fuzz all in his mouth.) "It happens to me a lot." That wasn't a lie, at least once a week some strange animal came up to him and asked to be petted. Animals loved him for some reason, and every time one of them did that Erza smirked triumphantly.

"Never in our lives my ass," she'd said once, causing him to chuckle. Well, that hadn't been a lie at the time he'd said it, all though it was no longer true.

"Here," the lady said, handing him a baby wipe. He took it gratefully and wiped all of the dog slobber off his face. "Why were you on the ground?" She asked curiously.

"I saw some teenagers throwing rocks at the dog in there, and I was trying to get it to come out that way I can see if it's injured."

"Oh!" She said, peering into the crack between the buildings, "I have some dog biscuits here, take one." She fished into her pocket and pulled out a dog biscuit. She handed it to him, smiling. He took it, and thanked her.

"You're welcome," she said, "and good luck!" She started walking again, and the dog nuzzled against his cheek. Jellal patted it on the head before it trotted off, wagging its tail.

Jellal turned back to the dog in the alleyway, which had retreated back into the shadows again. He held out the dog biscuit, calling the dog forward again. This time it came more readily, nibbling at the dog biscuit before Jellal swooped it up into his arms. It looked horrible, it's fur was all matted, and he could feel it's ribs through the skin. There was so much mud and dried blood he couldn't even tell where the wounds were.

"Oh you poor thing," he said, picking up the jewelry bag and checking to be sure the bracelet was still in there before walking over to a food stall and buying the dog a sausage, as promised. The clerk raised his eyebrows at Jellal as he handed the sausage to him, and the dog immediately ate it. Jellal merely shrugged before asking where the nearest vet was.

He followed the sausage salesman's directions, aware of how late in the day it was getting. He felt a little worried, thinking he might be late for dinner, but once he told her why, Erza wouldn't be mad, right? She liked animals too, and he couldn't be expected to not get this little guy checked out, it would just be wrong.

It was a few hours before Jellal could leave the vet's office. He'd gotten his hair trimmed, had stitches on several cuts, a cast on one leg, and a cone over his head so he didn't bite at his stitches. He held off on naming it, deciding that if he let Erza do it, it was more likely he'd be allowed to keep it.

 _It will either be something very girly and cute, or something really metal,_ he thought.

"I'm home!" He called when he walked through the door, "Sorry I'm late!"

"Where have you been?" Erza called from the kitchen. She didn't sound angry, however, which made Jellal breathe a sigh of relief.

"The vet," he told her, setting the bag containing the bracelet he bought on the counter as Erza walked out of the kitchen.

"Why were you- oh you got a dog!" She cried, stepping forward and taking it out of his hands.

"What's her name?" Erza asked, cuddling the Yorkie to her chest.

"I thought I'd let you name her," Jellal said.

"Skull Crusher." She said decisively. _Really metal it is then,_ Jellal thought, chuckling. Erza had this twinkle in her eye that said she wouldn't be reasoned with about the name not fitting the dog, not that Jellal would have tried anyway.

"We'll call her 'Crusher' for short," Erza declared.

"That's a perfect name." Jellal then preceded to give her the bracelet, diamond and ruby encrusted, and tell her the idea he had for enchanting it.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," she said, kissing him.

Erza presented Jellal with a set of armor that she said she had bought a matching set too. She showed him hers, it had subtle differences, and it was more feminine, but they were clearly a matching set. They each had little star decorations on them, "to match your magic," she said.

"It's perfect," he told her.


	5. Pillow Hog

***It's finally that time of the year again,** ** _Jerza week!_** **Now, for this year I'm going to be continuing my collection of one shots from last years event! This is a make up for day 1, Embrace!**

Jellal grumbled and rolled back over throwing his arm around Erza. He received a bit of a shock when he got a faceful of fur. It had been a month and he still wasn't used to Skull Crusher sleeping with him and Erza. He didn't have a problem with the dog herself, just that she liked to curl up between her parents, making it hard for Jellal to reach Erza. Even worse was that Crusher typically crawled up on his pillow, sometimes smothering him.

"Crusher," he grumbled, "why can't you sleep on the foot of the bed like a normal dog?"

"Is it so long that she likes you? You did rescue her after all," Erza reminded. She rolled over and leaned up to look at him over the yorkie in question.

"I know," he complained, "but it makes it harder for me to see you." Jellal reached out and grabbed Erza around the waist, pulling her over the dog and into his arms. "Much better." Erza rolled her eyes, but laid her head down on Jellal's chest, enjoying his embrace.


	6. Just Like Yours

***A/N- So this barely qualifies as Jerza, but I couldn't resist.**

"Hey mister!" Asuka said, running up to Jellal and climbing into his lap. Even though she'd known him for a year, she couldn't remember his name. It wasn't really surprising, they hadn't managed to be at Fairy Tail at the same time often, her parents took her on their less dangerous missions, and they worked a lot, so Jellal didn't see the child much, but when he did she always said the same thing to him. "I like your tattoo!" She chirped, pointing at his face. Jellal chuckled.

"Thank you," He replied, smiling at the child in his lap. He could remember the shock he felt when she climbed up into his lap the first time grinning and complimenting his tattoo. He was continually astounded by the simple trust she placed in people. He was in the guild hall, where she grew up, and the guild was like her extended family, and he was in the guild hall so she automatically trusted him. It didn't matter that she didn't know his name or that she had never seen him before, he was now part of her family.

He marvelled at how she chattered away at him like he was her best friend, going on about her new toy gun, and the adventures she had gone on with her parents, and how she had seen a shooting star last week.

"You know I can make a shooting star," Jellal said, grinning. "Do you wanna see?"

"Yeah, yeah!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet in his lap and staring eagerly into his face. Jellal could see Erza and her friends smiling endearingly at him, enjoying the sight of the guilds little sweetheart bonding with him. Just beyond them were her parents, also smiling.

"Alright," he said, "don't forget to make a wish." Asuka nodded eagerly and placed her little hands on Jellal's shoulder for balance.

Jellal brought his hand and materialized a galaxy of little stars in the air between them. They lit her awed expression as she oohed, transfixed. He heard little gasps and cooes of appreciation from the people around him, but he kept his eyes fixed on Asuka. Jellal murmured a few words, and shooting stars whisked across the mini galaxy and Asuka squealed in delight.

"It's so pretty!" She said. Jellal smiled, and allowed the galaxy in his hand to fade away.

"Remember to keep your wish secret, or it won't come true," Jellal told her, still smiling. Asuka nodded again, then climbed off his lap and ran across the room at her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy! Did you see that? Did you see it!" Jellal smiled to himself again as her parents replied, shooting him grateful looks. When he looked around himself, however, he became aware that everyone around him was staring, smiling at him the same way Biska and Alzack had.

"That was beautiful, Jellal," Lucy said.

"Who knew you were good with kids?" Natsu commented.

"Jellal-san, that was amazing!" Juvia beamed. Erza slid closer to him on the bench, and took his hand.

"It seems you and Asuka have formed quite the bond," Erza murmured.

"You guys are cuddling just like Mommy and Daddy do!" Asuka chirped at their feet, startling both of them. Apparently she had come back to talk some more. "Are you a mommy and daddy too?" Jellal felt his face heat up as the entire guild erupted into good natured laughter.

Despite his slight embarrassment and discomfort, Jellal couldn't deny the feeling of overwhelming peace he felt. He'd never experienced such a friendly and familial atmosphere before, and he was still astounded that he was part of one now. Everyone here seemed to like him, and care about him, and being surrounded by so much love was off putting.

And then there was the girl and her fascination with his tattoo, which he had long considered a curse. It was his identifying feature, something that made him unmistakably him and prevented from ever truly blending in. Even to those who didn't recognize it immediately, the tattoo drew attention, on his face like it was. Erza had stated that she liked it, but she was always saying things to try and negate some of the self loathing he just couldn't seem to let go of.

"Nii-san," Asuka said, startling Jellal further. "When I grow up I want to get a tattoo just like yours." More chuckling and cooes followed this statement, but Jellal didn't hear them. He was too busy staring at this little girl, who was somehow managing to tear down every bad thing he'd ever managed to think about himself.

"I think it'll look much better on you."


	7. Haunted

***A/N- Quick question, is it acually considered Jerza if Erza is just** ** _in_** **it? Because the last one wasn't very shipy, and neither was this one. Oh well. Whatever. Close enough.**

Jellal sat up, panting, and looked around the dark room. Moonlight filtered in through a part in the curtains, filling the air with an ethereal, surreal quality. The air was chill on his sweat covered skin, and gooseflesh rose along his arms, though he could not, in all honesty, contribute this to the temperature. In every corner lurked a shadow, concealing from him, it seemed, a ghost, there to remind him exactly why he didn't deserve to be sitting up in the same bed where she was lying down, sleeping peacefully. There essence floated on the air, stealing his warmth with every breath he took.

There, in the corner, crouched Wally, glaring. In the corner reclined Miliana, her features a mask of betrayal. Sho sat beneath the window, light filtering through his translucent form, his tear stained face of hurt and disbelief possibly the worst of all. Jellal shook himself, reminding himself that these phantoms were merely after-images from his nightmare.

In the door stood Simon, his body so large is filled the entire frame. Simon was the only one looking not at him, but Erza. Jellal was unsurprised, he had always known of Simon's feelings for Erza. He was, surprised, however, when Simon strode across the room. None of his "ghosts" had ever moved before, only sat and bore into his soul with their eyes.

Crusher stirred, and growled, hackles raised, at the air where Simon was. Jellal marveled at her, could she see him too? Jellal had assumed that these phantoms were nothing more than figments of his imagination. The others, after all, were still alive. Crusher wouldn't be growling at the airm would she? Was it a possibility that Simon was really here, in spirit?

Simon paused and looked at the dog, smiling. Skull Crusher tilted her head, confused, and let out a small whimpering sound. Unconsciously, Jellal reached out and stroked her head reassuringly, his gaze remaining on Simon. Simon's eyes returned from Skull Crusher to Erza, and Jellal couldn't help but feel a little stung at being deliberately ignored, despite the irregularity of the situation.

A protest rose within him as Simon reached out towards Erza, but it died in his throat. Skull Crusher seemed to be experiencing a similar phenomenon, baring her teeth silently. He knew Simon would never in a million years hurt Erza, even as a lingering spirit. Simon took hold of the blankets around Erza's waist and tucked them around her shoulders. Jellal gasped slightly. This was real, this was happening. Simon had just manipulated the environment, which meant this wasn't a hallucination.

"Simon…" Jellal breathed, feeling a wealth of guilt and regret wash over him. Simon ignored him still, and Jellal couldn't blame him. Tenderly Simon reached out and brushed hair away from Erza's face. She sighed happily and snuggled deeper into the bed. Simon's face softened even more as he stood straight again, turning finally to face Jellal. Jellal had expected to see hatred and fury in his eyes, but was shocked when all that met him was forgiveness and love.

"Don't cry, Jellal," Simon said. Jellal blinked, and Simon was gone. Another gasp escaped him, and he glanced around himself to where all the others had been before. They were all gone as well. Jellal stared, open mouthed, at the place where Simon had disappeared. He hadn't even been aware he was crying.

What did this mean? The love and forgiveness in Simon's eyes, had it been real? Had the forgiveness been genuine, or something he had dreamed up to comfort himself? He looked down at Skull Crusher, who was now sniffing around where Simon had touched, searching for his scent. Jellal felt a long forgotten weight lift from his chest.

"Thank you, Simon."


	8. Home

***Finally, one that's actually shippy. I was thinking maybe it would never happen again XD.**

Jellal always hated the feeling of waking up after crying. It felt like there was a thin layer of cement sealing his eyelids closed that morning, and he could think of nothing he wanted to do more than stay in bed all day with the woman he loved. He reached out for her, but his hands met with nothing but air. _I must have overslept._ Resigning himself to the arduous task of prying open his eyes, he sat up and squinted around, his eyes protesting the light streaming in from the same crack in the curtains that had lit the room during his other-worldly experience last night.

"Oh, you're awake," Erza commented, standing in the door in the exact place that Simon stood last night. Her frame was much smaller in comparison, and the doorway seemed empty where last night it had been cramped and full. "I tried to wake you up, but you were dead asleep." _What an ironic choice of words,_ he thought. He reached up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked a few times so he could better focus on her.

"Erza, do you want to stay home today?" He asked. She blinked at him, surprised. He never asked to stay home, not even when the townspeople harassing him had been at it's worst. He was always either out with his guild getting a headache because apparently the former Oracion Seis couldn't function like adults, or he was with her guild, getting a headache because apparently _no one_ in that guild could act like an adult.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing's wrong, I just felt like staying in bed today," he said, shrugging. He didn't want to tell her about the apparitions he saw last night, for some reason he felt compelled to keep that to himself, though he usually shared everything with her. Erza looked at him for a few more minutes before shrugging.

"Alright." She left the room briefly to fill up Skull Crushers food bowl before returning to bed with Jellal. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm sure," he said, wrapping his arms around her and snuggling up close. "Today just seemed like a good day to stay home."


	9. Warmth- or the Lack Therof

"Erza," Jellal whined, fiddling with the tiny leather strap. "This is impossible." He winced as the metal touched his skin, raising gooseflesh. "And it's freezing!"

"It's not that cold!" Erza said, coming into the room, fully outfitted in her armor. Currently Jellal was trying- and failing miserably- to put on this elaborate set of armor that matched hers. It had been his anniversary gift from her, and Erza was going on a rather big mission and had invited him along with her team, insisting they wear their matching armor.

"It's sapping away all traces of warmth in my body!" He said.

"Since when are you a drama queen?" Erza asked, moving to his side and fastening the leather strap with practiced precision. "You've been spending too much time with Natsu." Silently Jellal agreed.

"It's COLD!"

"Wait a minute, why aren't you wearing the lining?" She asked, adjusting his armor so she could look underneath it."

"The what?"

"It's what you're supposed to put on under the armor so it doesn't chafe or freeze you to death."

"I thought that was just to keep it from scuffing that mannequin." Erza rolled her eyes.

"Well put it on, then I'll teach you how to put on your armor yourself, I'm not dressing you everytime we go on a mission together." Jellal followed her instructions and called her back in because this armor thing was really complicated. How did she do this every day? She was right though, it was much warmer with the undergarments.


	10. Scarlet Sunset II

He'd never felt terror quite like this before. Whole and all consuming, however baseless. He was petrified, even though he knew his fears had no validity. He'd thought long and hard about what he'd been able to do, and no matter how long he thought about it he could come to but one conclusion. He had only one choice, this was the only path open to him. No matter what he did, no matter what details he altered, he would always end up...here.

"Here" was on his knees in front of the scarlet haired fairy queen who had stolen his heart. No. That wasn't right. Saying she had stolen his heart implied that he had ever been able to call it his own in the first place. It had always been hers, even when he wasn't himself and trying to kill her, she held his heart. Even when she didn't know it. His heart had been hers from that very first moment he laid eyes on her in the Tower, before he'd even been able to comprehend a heart and what it was, he'd lost it to the little girl who smiled so brightly in such a dark place.

That little grl who smiled so brightly had become and amazingly beautiful and powerful young woman who could terrify him in more ways than the domestic terror a man feels when his girlfriend comes home and he realizes that he forgot to do the dishes _again._ The idea of her pain terrified him, the idea of her suddenly realizing that she was too good for him and throwing him out on his behind terrified him. In all honesty her guild terrified him. The whole lot of them were psycho's, destroying entire cities and laughing it off. Erza's temper terrified him, her seemingly clashing kindness and soul filled with rage, coupled with a ridiculous amount of magical power that could flatten a small country terrified him.

None of these things scared him half as much as her ability to crush him with a single word at any given moment. Somedays that word could be "monster." On days when he wanted to leave her for her own good but what he really wanted was for her to talk him out o leaving that word was "go."

Today, as he was on one knee in front of her, that word was "no." He waited with baited breath, knowing, with his head that word would not pass her lips. However, seated deep within his heart was a self loathing that he could not shake, that he could not crawl out from underneath. That self loathing was whispering to him that "no" would most assuredly be the word that crossed her lips today, right now, in this moment.

So, with bated breath he waited for an answer the two parts of him argued on what her answer would be while she stood there, staring wordlessly at him and he stared back, not bothering to try and conceal the many emotions he was feeling. He had learned long ago that he could not conceal anything from her.

In fact, he had learned that right here, on this very beach, while they were watching a sunset much like this one. They had kissed that night. The next day Jellal had done what Jellal did, and tried to leave. Erza did what Erza does and _scared the living shit out of him._ During the "Great Scarlet Tantrum of x792" she had convinced Jellal to _not_ leave, as well as that his fear of his girlfriend was _completely_ justified.

"Yes." Jellal had to ask her to repeat herself, just to be sure that he hadn't misheard. She obliged, and Jellal couldn't help but let out a triumphant and relieved whoop before leaping to his feet and folding her in his arms, kissing her once again underneath this Scarlet Sunrise.


End file.
